Customer Reviews (18 Total)
Amazingly Good
August 19, 2017
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 3.5oz
I used to smoke Mclelland #27 for the last ten years for my go to Va flake until I tried this recently. This blend basically focuses on everything I like about Va tobacco and somehow the steam press seems to have removed all of the traits I don't lik... Read More
e. It's like it took away some of the brightness and darkness extremes in the flavor profile and boosted the middle of the spectrum a bit. There is absolutely no bite in this blend if it is dried out properly prior to smoking. There is a tiny bit of molasses/ brown sugar like sweetness dancing around in the background but it is very subtle and I would not call this a sweet blend in any way. I have smoked pipes for 20+ years and I honestly feel this is the best Va without any perique I have ever smoked. A good nice medium full flavor with a nice medium nicotine level. I like to smoke it rubbed out and the flakes are nice and thin just a little shy of being a shag cut the way I like them. The smoking is leisurely and it is well behaved. Burns nicely with minimal relights and does not punish the smoker in the slightest sense if they smoke a little quicker than most Va's allow. I wish they would make a Vaper version of this. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting the pure Virginia experience. I will be purchasing as much of this as possible to cellar for future enjoyment. Read Less
Straightforward and Full
July 24, 2017
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
I like HH Virginia. Great quality tobacco. For me it is very different than most of the Virginias I smoke. Somewhat robust and full. Not sweet or particularly nuanced. It could be used in cooler weather in place of mild/medium English blends. I woul... Read More
d also sip Whisky or something similar with it. In the sweltering heat of Summer I will opt for the lighter Virginias like Dunhill Light and Dark Flakes or Orlik Golden Slice. Though that being said, there is nothing inferior here. No disappointment in quality Read Less
Superb Virginia
January 31, 2018
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
Since Dunhill ruined thier flake by poor packaging when switching to the round tin, this has become one of my two favorite tobaccos (the other is McC 40th Anniversary). I would add that I enjoy it most after I crack a 6 month old tin and let it air ... Read More
for a couple of weeks; it changes dramatically after it is open. Highly recommended. Read Less
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
Alright so Mac Barren Pure Virginia Flake. Wonderful! This is a very straight forward, no nonsense Virginia Flake. Reminds me a lot of their original Virginia Flake, but this one has a much stronger, more up front tobacco flavor. First thing that cam... Read More
e to mind was a leathery kind of smoke. And of course there's that amazing grassy hay like sweetness you would expect with Virginia blends though the "leathery" tobacco flavor plays into it very well! Highly recommended! Read Less
Disagree with the Reviewer Below
March 15, 2016
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
Look. I like Virginia. I like, really like Virginia.
And to tell you the truth, usually, I'm not a huge fan of MacBaren. They make some great stuff, sure, but the leather/cologne/savory/bitter thing is not for me.
This, however, entered my top te... Read More
n list. But only on the second tin.
Because it takes some getting used to. It doesn't taste like other MacBaren VAs. It also doesn't taste like Escudo, or Orlik, or Navy Rolls, or McConnell's, or Rattray's, or... you get my point. What the blender did here was do the impossible: make a new profile for a VA tobacco. So you have ash, iron, leather (it is MacBaren, after all), but also some plum, cherry, even apricot I got off of this one. Without being sweet, but instead, a slight bit sour. I really, really like it. I bought thirty tins of the stuff.
I will say, it is not an all-day smoker. It is pretty strong, and pretty full-flavored, so watch out. This bears a full rubbing out and a pretty rigorous drying before it can be appreciated with aplomb. I had great results taking it out of the tin and putting it in a jar to air and age a bit. I hope that the below reviewer gives it another chance. Likely it's a palate thing. And you, reader. Give it a chance. It's weird, but not offensive. It won't ghost your pipe. And who knows, you just might grok it.
EDIT 5/12/16: This has become one of top five tobaccos. I still dry it, but not as much, because you lose the huge sweetness that occurs with two months in the tin. I have smoked as much as 4 tins a week of this thing. It's absolutely magnificent--it does take some getting used to, but try it in a smaller pipe with a medium to long stem. Can't recommend this enough. Read Less
I'm a little disappointed.
September 25, 2015
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
I usually only get inspired to write a review for a tobacco that I love instantly. I'm no "Expert" but it doesn't take me long to figure out whether I do or do not love a new blend. Based on the advertised description and heralded promoti... Read More
on of this as a must-have, I bought a couple tins to try. After just my third bowl smoked, my opinion hadn't changed from my first bowl. I DON'T love this one. I'll smoke it, but I'm in no rush to buy a bunch of tins so that I don't run out of it. The tin aroma is bland, somewhat reminding me of freshly cut lawn grass. Not offensive, but not rich with the usual sweet, bright notes of many other great VA blends that I love. The taste is true to the tin aroma. Kind of bland, very straight forward, but lacking any noticeable "natural sweetness" that was advertised. My taste buds may be off, but I didn't detect any of the "complexity" that's claimed either. The aftertaste is somewhat sour, and I even found that it caused the back of my throat to "tickle" a bit, causing me to cough and reach for a cleansing sip of coffee. The overall flavor, for me, was what I'd describe as strong and a bit harsh. Not overpowering, but not mellow or pleasant and again lacking the requisite sweetness that Virginia tobacco is celebrated for. It's not bad, or in my mind something to avoid, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about? I've come to expect excellence from Mac Baren products, but for me, this is not their best offering. Read Less
Maybe The Best
November 02, 2019
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
This, and Opening Night are probably the best straight Virginia blends I have had. This has a range of tastes and has good body to it. It has some savory, earthy, vegetal, salty flavors, and has the barest hint of fig and some leather and wood smoke.... Read More
It has a mostly malty, molasses-like,yeasty, bready flavor. It's complex and full, and satisfying. Give it a go. Read Less
Brings back memories...
August 31, 2019
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
When I was 15, I befriended an 86 year old pipe smoker. At the time I had my grandfather's pipe and nothing in the way of pipe knowledge. He taught me his own feelings of tobacco and pipe smoking and they have informed my every bowl in some fashion. ... Read More
His favorite blend was a simple Virginia-heavy mix with a little cavendish, but his advice was to always start with the virginia. "It'll never do you wrong." And it never has. This flake brings those memories into sharp focus nearly 30 years later. Read Less
Working it's way to the top of my list
June 22, 2019
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
The tin I received already had 4 years of cellar age on it. The tin note is pear, tart apple, and hay. Moist flakes that required a bit of drying time for my liking. Taste is predominantly fruit driven with bright green apple and pear leading the ... Read More
way with the grass and hay more in the background. The more I smoke this PV the more I like it. Will definitely be buying more for the cellar in the future. Read Less
A Nuanced Virginia
January 15, 2019
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
MacBaren's HH Pure Virginia is a tin I keep going to when I know I want a Virginia but I'm not sure what else I want. It never disappoints. It smells nice when I open the jar; it tastes nice when I first lay flame to it; and it stays nice from start ... Read More
to finish. It's one of those types of tobaccos that you can sit down and wonder at its subtleties. It's also one of those types of tobaccos that goes great with a choice drink and a book or a game. Have a few slices of this. Read Less
Clean as can be.
November 26, 2018
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
This straight Virginia has been a staple in almost every order I place. Beautifully layered under gold paper & snuggly stacked in its tin. The citrus & grassy notes quickly hit my nostrils & the flake has been ready for a pipe immediately... Read More
after opening. Plus the past 8 or so tins I have order have already had 3 years of tin age on them. Fully worth the snag. Read Less
Excellent now
November 20, 2018
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 3.5oz
Excellent now, better after 1 yr in the tin,
Not your typical virginia
August 10, 2018
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
This is a quality tobacco and smokes quite well however does not have the typical sweetness I look for in Virginia it's more round and deep kind of like Virginia all grown up it's quite good and also reminds me of ODF a little bit but my favorite Vir... Read More
ginia is still the old Dunhill light flake. Read Less
Very nice
August 03, 2018
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
This is a great Virginia all around.
oh sooo good
July 29, 2018
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
I am starting to really zero in on what I like as a pipe smoker and a pure Virginia is it. this is a sip it tobacco that will always be in my cart every time I order
The Best Virginia ever
March 06, 2018
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
This is an email I sent to Mac Baren hope it explains it all to you:
I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you I have been smoking pipe tobacco for 36 years and have tried more than I can count. I just yesterday received a tin of your HH Pure Virg... Read More
inia tobacco, I liked it so much that I turned around the same day and ordered 5 pounds of it. That was all I could find for sale on the web sites that I use. I have tried numerous Mac Baren blends over the years and I have a few that I sometimes regularly smoke. The HH Pure Virginia is the best tobacco I have ever smoked out of all yours and everyone else....... Please continue to make this and I think as pipe smokers try this especially if they are Virginia smokers they will make it there favorite tobacco out of all other Virginia's. Thank you for being a great company and doing what you do everyday for the love of us pipe smokers in the world. Read Less
Great Straight Virginia Flake
November 30, 2017
Product: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia 1.75oz
Recently opened a tin from 2015. Perfect little stack of flakes. A smooth and savory smoke with a hint of that natural VA "sweetness". There's a lot of flavor here, considering there's only one component. Since it's hot-pressed (likely with steam), a... Read More
lot of the harshness is removed, making a fresh tin nearly as mild as a three-year-old one. Another excellent offering from the HH lineup. Finally, worth mentioning is that the flavor is reminiscent of Old Dark Fired, without the fired. A great blend to cellar away for a rainy day—the result is delicious! Read Less
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HH Pure Virginia 3.5oz
