MacBaren - Vanilla Cream loose cut

[Jeff]

Mac Baren
VANILLA CREAM LOOSE CUT

Up until recently, most of my pipe tobacco experience has been with discount aromatics. These cheap blends tend to go overboard on whatever flavor is in them, and all to often, the flavoring tastes/smells very synthetic. This tobacco has been my first experience with a truly enjoyable aromatic.

IHT sent me a sampler of three different tobaccos to try. This one came in a 3.5 oz classy looking tin. I like the idea of buying tobacco in a tin due to the airtight seal. Open breaking the seal and twisting off the lid, I was treated to an amazingly delicious aroma! There was an obvious smell of vanilla and sweetness, but it wasn't overpowering or artificial. Underneath the flavoring, I could detect the aroma of fine tobacco. Somehow I knew this was going to be good stuff.

I packed my first bowl in a Peterson 999 Aran. I guess its a 1/4 - 1/2 bent pipe. The tobacco isn't as sticky moist as some cheaper aromatics I've had. I have yet to get a tamper so I used my finger. I know, shame on me! The initial draws brought up delicous clouds of vanilla smoke. Again, not so powerful that all I got was the flavor. Working my way into the bowl, I discovered a certain richness to this blend. Like medium body in cigars.

This vanilla cream tobacco is rich, very slightly sweet, flavorful, and has no bite. Definitely has found a permanent place in my stock.

[SIZE="1"]Mac Baren Vanilla Cream is a colorfull blend mixed with cut plugs. Manufactured from specially selected and aged Virginia and mild black Cavendish tobaccos. Then blended with an exceptional Vanilla Flavour. This selection creates an outstanding blend with superior flavour, unique aroma and distinctive taste experience.[/SIZE]

[icemncmth]

Jeff I think what you have found out is that the good Aero's don't hide or cover the flavor of the tobacco. You will hear from a lot of pipe smokers that they never smoke a "Aeromatic" but I would bet you that most pipe smokers have one Aero that they like. My local shop has one that I keep. I have some that is probably 10years old in a ball jar. It is great stuff. I wouldn't smoke it everyday but I sure do like it.....

-ice

[IHT]

Originally Posted by Jeff

I have yet to get a tamper so I used my finger. I know, shame on me!

i use my pinkie finger to pack the pipe, not a tamper. i also use the "child/mother/father" technique, some may know it as another name, but packing it the first time lightly, then a little more pressure the 2nd time, and finally a little harder the last time you pack tobacco in.

i use to pack every available spot of tobacco that was showing, but now i just take my pinkie, nail touching the inside portion of the bowl, and work my way around the outside of the tobacco....
for some reason, my pipes have been smoking much better.

i use my tamper when after my initial charring light to tamp it back down after the tobacco expands. then every once in a while, mostly toward the last portion of the bowl after i knock out some old burnt tobacco...

[IHT]

had the last bowls worth from my big ol' tin of the loose cut... now i'm down to the tin in flake form (which i normally take with me on business trips - and i have one coming up this weekend).

overall, if you're looking for a nice aromatic, this could easily fill your bill. quality tobaccos, and sometimes you can see parts of what use to be VA flakes that you may need to rub out some more... they don't throw trashy tobacco in there and sweeten it up. i get a little bit of a tongue bite, but not much, just a teeny bit.

on an aromatic scale, from 1-10, i'd have to give it a solid 9. on a non-aromatic scale, it would be a 6.5 or maybe 7, depending on my wanting an aromatic (which i guess is obvious, if you don't want coffee, you don't order it, and if your Orange Julius tastes like coffee, you probably wouldn't like it).
so, if you like vanilla cream, and you can feel/taste the cream (it's not just a pretty name in this blend), then this would be a good transition smoke if you're planning on going from strictly aromatics to straight (uncased/topped) tobaccos (and then on to something even less aromatic). you get a little bit of both worlds here, good VAs, good vanilla cream flavors.

[ShawnP]

Great reviews guys, I have a tin coming today with my latest order and I am excited to try it(even more so now).


I will post my thoughts once I try it.



Shawn

[cquon]

Not as pleasant a room note as one might expect, but smokes great. Three bowls from my first tin, and already a fave. Spot on reviews, guys.

[Johnnylaw]

Originally Posted by cquon

Not as pleasant a room note as one might expect, but smokes great.

I agre. The smoke was great for me, but much to my chagrin, my wife thought the house was burning down. I said "come on, doesn't it smell nice, like vanilla cake?" she said "[SIZE="5"]NO! get the *F* out of the house![/SIZE]

[EKG]

Hmmm.... This stuff is definately stronger on the topping then Plumcake. When I smoked VC, I soon became ill and had to lie down for 2 hours, it was like smoking syrup. Every piece of fabric in the room I smoked it in smelled like the city of Miami died on it. I was expecting french vanilla, but this is more like coconut, banana, and general fruityness, which was nice before I got nauseous.

So you could say I had a somewhat different experience

I'll stick with Plumcake for now, as well as some Uncle Louie's Rum from MacB that I'm sampling.

[EKG]

A little update here, VC has permanently infused itself into my only pipes, 2 corncobs. I tried cleaning them with alcohol and various other methods but it is so strong that smoking Syrian through it literally all I can taste is the vanilla cream.

Just a warning, your mileage may vary.

[NCatron]

Yeah, I have one pipe dedicated to "vanilla". I once tried smoking something non-aromatic in the pipe, just for the hell of it... it tasted just like the vanilla.

Hence the recommendation of reserving a (probably cheap) pipe for aromatics.

[a.paul]

Wow. My tastebuds must really be off. I mean--I like it okay and am smoking it (mostly cause it's there and needs to be smoked) but I've never gotten that strong a flavor from it.

[ShawnP]

Originally Posted by a.paul

Wow. My tastebuds must really be off. I mean--I like it okay and am smoking it (mostly cause it's there and needs to be smoked) but I've never gotten that strong a flavor from it.

I just smoked a bowl last night for the first time. I must say that to me there was really no Vanilla flavor. If I took a slow loooong puff off the pipe I could get a very slight hint of it but nothing to crazy.

I must say though the smell from this blend lingers on for a while. My living room smelled like it for hours after I was finished and my facial hair even after a shower still this morning smells like the VC .

I think it is a good smoke but did lack flavor (too mild). I smoked this blend very very slowly and it still burned hot as hell and bit.

I think I will give this blend another try no doubt but maybe in a small pipe.

Overall for a aro it is a good smoke but not one I hold high on my list.


Shawn

[a.paul]

I've only smoked it in cobs. Mostly an unfinished or unvarnished or whatever they are--and I have to say I've never felt too hot or gotten my tongue bitten--but that could be the cob just being cooler too.

[EKG]

I must say though the smell from this blend lingers on for a while. My living room smelled like it for hours after I was finished and my facial hair even after a shower still this morning smells like the VC .

Yup, my beard and arm hair reeked of it.

I think it is a good smoke but did lack flavor (too mild). I smoked this blend very very slowly and it still burned hot as hell and bit.

Weird humidity maybe? I wasn't bit by it and the flavor was very strong.
Odd!

[ShawnP]

Originally Posted by EKG

Weird humidity maybe? I wasn't bit by it and the flavor was very strong.Odd!

Well I opened the sealed tin (heard the seal break) and packed my pipe. I didn't let it dry out at all.


Not sure but it was real hot. Like I said though I am going to try this again but in a small pipe.


Could be that the Orlik just ruined this smoke for me being it was soooo damn good



Shawn