MacBaren Navy Flake

It is good enough to keep around. I believe Ckr has at least 2 lbs on it stored. I myself have 400 grams of it at the moment - soon to be getting more. I'm also pretty sure Rick has a good sized stash of it as well.

There may be a flavoring of some sort, but thus far I haven't noticed any.

Thanks, that's good news. It could be flavored with pickle juice and Spam jelly for all I care, as long as I don't notice it.

Actually, I might steer clear if I knew that it had pickle juice and spam jelly in it :)

First of all - it is heavenly. Burley/VA/(tiny bit of) Unflavored Cavendish (I didn't even know the Cav was there until I read the label). Topped with honey but not goopy. Just a light note.

Do I smoke it often? About once out of every 4 bowls on average. Smoked some last night for that matter in my new Dunhill Cavalier. It was awsome. I always >>> ALWAYS! have a tin open. Can't say that about any other tobacco. And this is not a momentary love affair - I've had a always had a tin of this weed open since I discovered it over 5 years ago.

I have (not sure now) 50-60 tins (translation: 11-13 pounds) in the cellar. Aging does nothing of value to it but neither does it make it any worse. It is afterall predominantly a Burley blend.

Nicotine level - very managable - easily an all day smoke.

Tongue bite - absolutely none whatsoever.

Flavor - outstanding and sweet at the start, earthy and burleyish mid bowl, and it finishes equally as good - not a dirty ashy finish like some tobaccos - no, this baccy is top shelf for sure.

Room note - I'm told its very nice although not like an aromatic would be.

Complexity? Well ... not really. Its pretty stable throughout the bowl not really developing / morphing to any great extent. Its a burley! But it has just the right touch of VA to make it extremely interesting.

Overall rating (IMO of course): 10 on a scale of 1-10. My all time favorite tobacco (hey did you catch that 1OLDGI? My all time favorite is a BURLEY !!!!!!!!!!!)

Thanks for all the information, Rick. Everything sounds good, but the "topped with honey" scares me.

Don't let it scare you the slightest. The honey topping will without a doubt surprise you in a positive way. I didn't know about it before someone told me :)

Just the idea is scary ... I hate toppings of any sort. But this one works for me. FWIW, its the same topping on MacBaren VA Flake and Burley London Blend. Perhaps other Macb's too - I dunno.

Will you taste it? Definately. Is it obnoxious? No IMO. YMMV.

This will probably get purchased in the future, but it is not on my short list. Well, wait a minute. I have recently wiped out my short list with numerous purchases. So, there you go, I guess it is on the short list. Seriously, though, almost every tobacco recommendation that I have received on MPC has turned out well. Some better than others, but there have yet to be any bombs.

Also has the honey topping. It is the same situation as Rick explains with the Navy Flake... is it noticeable, yes... overpowering... no. VA#1 is one of my all time favorite VA's and the light honey topping actually compliments the VA very well. Sometimes, its seems, topping's can actually work. MacB seems to have it down pat with their use of honey on many of their blends.

One of my big issues is that I have only enjoyed two MacBaren Blends: the HH mixtures. I have disliked and THROWN AWAY all other blends of theirs that I have tried. Therefore, I am a little reluctant. However, the cost of one tin is minimal and with all the praise and recommendations here on MPC, there is no way that I could not at least give it a shot.

By the way, the only flavored tobacco that I tried that did not turn me off after a few bowls was SG Perfection. This is supposed to be flavored with vanilla, but I could detect no hint of it. That absence of flavor was fine, but the tobacco itself was mediocre overall and I have not purchased it again.

If it is any comfort, I don't find that Navy Flake smokes anything like any other Mac Baren blend. I know which flavor it is that turns you off from Mac Baren. Navy Flake has a Mac Baren characteristic, but nothing like the other blends - imho. ymmv and all the caveats.

Thanks, that is good to hear and I know that I will end up trying some. Damn, I need more tin storage space.

Plus, I am of the opinion that caveats are always implied, they do not need to be applied.

Once again, thanks to everyone for their inputs. I knew that I liked this place for a reason.

Cheers, and happy smoking!

I personally smoke a minimum of two bowls of Navy Flake per day.It's been my all time favorite for well over a year now replacing Dunhill's #965 in that capacity.

BTW:Iwan Ries just had it on sale for $25.00 per pound. I bought six!

Traditionally a "navy flake" was cased with rum, though I think MacBaren cases there's with a bit of honey instead.If anyone has a definite on this please let me know.It's something I've always been curious about.

Dock

Quaffer,

I have a 100g tin that I am currently mowing through. If you were to talk to the founding Fathers of MPC (Piatt, Ckr, Lars) you would find that MacBaren Navy Flake is the unofficial blend of MPC. It has been inadvertently shoved out of the spotlight by the upcomance(sp?) of Orlik Golden Sliced being a big fave of quite a few folks.

I at one time thought that I liked Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake better than MacB but I quickly changed my mind as of late.

Its hard to beat. Damn fine weed.

I will openly admit that the VAness that is Orlik Golden Sliced has taken front seat with me. Mac Baren Navy Flake is never far behind.

As far as Rick, Chris and I being the founding fathers is a bit of a stretch - we just have less of a life than the rest here :)

And why leave out Brian?

Perhaps because we haven't seen any design changes ... Brian, we want value for our money!

I am fat.
I am bald.
I am a failure.
My underware is too tight.
I don't have a good smoker.
My testicles are different sizes.
My car needs cleaning.
I am fearful to be in public.
I crave Mc Donalds french fries.
My cellar is too small.
The world is cruel.
Seppuku is the only way out.

Bull shit, no way am I going down that path,

Besides, how can you take your own life if you don't have one?

Chris,

You are one twisted dude - thats what we like about you.
Hilarious!!

1. Never tried MacBaren Navy Flake. I have looked hard at it on a number of occassions but never got around to it. To tell you the truth the flake business kinda scares me. I know, I'm a buffoon. Kinda like them ties that you have to tie yourself...seems like a lot of work to me.
2. Have enjoyed McB VA#1 in limited quanitities threw some perique in it and jarred it a bit over a year ago. I did enjoy the smoke but it was kind of...well different. Like when you pick up a beer bottle and tip it up expecting to taste beer then you discover someone has used your beer for an ashtray and there's a cigarette floating in it. Bad analogy I suppose but it just didn't taste like I expect pipe tobacco to taste. After a couple ounces, I guess I aquired the taste. Not bad, but I must admit this will probably never be more than an occassional thing.
3. Rick you have learned your lessons well Grasshoper, you will be ready to leave when you can snatch the 5Bros pouch from my hand.

I had to Google seppuku...

some of those revelations ... well ... I was living just fine with out them!

Hey, you forgot one ... YOUR OLD! (been wanting to say that since the other day's thread!)

philosophically speaking it would be impossible. However, here on the forum we are in another dimension, we can run around and find *nail gun* and shoot others as well as take a life we don't have. We are cyber people.

Now in regard to the actual act; all that digestive matter exiting must let go with a god awful stink. Terrible to think that they did such a thing to themselves. I mean take poison, jump off a cliff - I can't think of a worse way to go ..... well almost. It is better than being left for dead in a airport locker.

ckr *swollows the key* :-)

but its "underwear."

thats just another nail in the coffin.

I can't spell.
My English sucks, German is worse.
There is a hair that grows out of my left ear.
One of my toenails is deformed.
I am missing a molar.

It is just too much to bear or is that bare, see what I mean. I don't have a thing to where.

In deep depression I grab a razor and hop into the tub.

My God, thank you. Finally, a voice of reason. I was wondering when this lovefest was going to stop festering.

Friend Quaffer, Navy Flake is a MacBaren's tobacco. I don't "get" the fuss, or the accolades. I have smoked it, and it leaves a strange sweet aftertaste, IMHO. Each time with the same results, meaning I can't get through a bowl. Now, this is not MacB bashing. For the unbelieving, over the years I have smoked many MacBs, and all with more or less the same result, the same sweet burned sugar aftertaste. Of them all, Golden Extra and Symphony were acceptable, the London burley was palatable, and the rest were, well, the rest. I don't think that MacB handles burley well, in that somewhere in their processing, the essential bitter chocolate quality of burley is lost. Although, there was both the Latakia and 221B Baker Street that I thought in one incarnation were tasty enough. Perhaps, the nature of the leaf used has changed, or there has been a variation in the topping, but I smoke them no more.

It may just be that whatever palate I have left after 40 + years has been destroyed. But, with due apologies to the MacB fan club, I just don't "get" the excitement. However, if it's flake you're after, Peter Stokkebye navy flake and bullseye flake are a better quality smoke, and less obvious casing.

My $0.05 (inflation) which of course may be ignored.

Bob Runowski