Mac Baren: Navy Flake 16oz Pipe Tobacco

I bought a Tin of this and loved it so much I had to get this 16oz box. A very satisfying smoke. This has become one of my favorites. I love the Haunted Bookshop by C&D but this ranks right up there in my opinion. Going to cellar the majority of this, if I can keep my hands off of it that is. I will be buying more. Also, I tend to puff quite often and this is light on my tongue. I have smoked 5 bowls in a day without bite. This is another reason I love this stuff....Read More

To me, this is the quintessential "all day" smoke. It's sweet, floral, spicy, earthy, and tangy. There is enough complexity from top to bottom to keep the experienced smoker intrigued and mellow enough to just throw in your pipe and go about your day. If you sit down and really pay attention to it, there is plenty of goodness to find. One of my favorite characteristics about this blend is how well it performs in a pipe, stays lit very well, almost no harshness even when pushed, has a consistent flavor. The sweetness does drop to the background past the middle of the bowl in favor of spice and floral notes. Goes great with a coffee in the morning like most burleys, can be a desert smoke as well and hell, if you just throw this in your pipe all day you will be a happy smoker. I really hope STG continues producing this blend because it is one of the best out there...Read More

I thoroughly enjoy flakes and this is an excellent blend. I usually have a tin in my rotation. It’s definitely a rich flavor that goes well with a dram. I’ve heard it ages very well.

Mac Baron was one of the first tobacco's I tried when I first started smoking a pipe and navy flake is one of my favorites along with many of the other HH line and plum cake never had a problem jarring it unlike others it ages beautifully.

I have some tins older than 15 years . A very good blend !!

This was my first flake blend purchased and smoked. Very nice flavor, clean smoke and just all around nice mix of tobacco.

All my Baren/HH flakes are drying out, due to nonsense additives. I just opened a jar with more than three years of age, and it's so dry the flakes are impossible to fold. They just crumble. I'm noticing this with all my Baren/HH: Navy Flake, Burley Flake, Dark Twist, Pure VA, Vanilla, Golden Extra (broken flake), etc., etc. They're all drying out despite airtight storage and the insides of the jars are clouding. When those two things happen together — cloudy jars and dried out flakes — you know they've used Glycols and other additives as humectants for false moisture and heavier weight. The flavors become increasingly bitter the older these additives get, because they go rancid. I'm not surprised, but I am incredibly disappointed. My stocks from 2020 and older are okay, but ones from 2021 and later all look like this. This is bad news. What a waste. Unless I learn that the issue has been resolved, I will not buy Mac Baren/HH again....Read More

...if only it would stay lit.

Delivery: No issues whatsoever. Remember that description from O Brother Where Art Thou? I live in a geographical oddity; two shipping days, no matter where I go.

Packaging: Intact on receipt. Sturdy and keeps in moisture, even after opening multiple times. As a former Navy man myself, I do appreciate having flakes. They are convenient and keep the tobacco from spilling everywhere if you hit serious sea state. Also, when I see "flake" on the tin, it reminds me of my goofball shipmates.

Smell: Did you want to know what it's like to stick your nose in a bee hive without getting a face-full of angry critters? I popped the top on this and got all the clover honey with a few traces of dark fruit and caramel swimming in there.

Flavor: Sweetish (Cavendish) with balanced nutty body (Burley) and tang (Brightleaf). It burns cool for a long smoke. Just approach with patience. I can go an hour on one good packing.

Room note: Dunno. I went outside to light up. Smells like a nice enough October day to me.

Strength: Just enough buzz to remind you that it's there without laying you out.

Primary gripe is the need for relighting. Given the amount of casing, it's to be expected....Read More

MacBaren said only a tiny amount of rum is present, but I think it’s a little more intense than that. This is a classic, the more I smoke it, the more I like it. Good tasting, easy smoking. The overriding factor of the blend is that is has more Burley than Virginia in the taste.

Tin note of honey, spices and rum. Tobacco is a marbled dark brown flake. Moisture content is great. Rubs out with little effort. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. Flavoring is mild, with notes of Honey, which dissipates before the halfway point. Rum is listed, but I couldn't detect it. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of toast, wood, fermented vegetation, nuts, leather, spices, bread, grassy/hay, earth, floral, orange peel/zest, mild acidic/spicy, savory, dry bitterness, a tart vinegary sour background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Burley supporting. Cavendish starts off strong and is sidelined in the first half. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great....Read More