Dark Twist - whatever it is, I like it.

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Sasquatch

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I'm going to post this in the review section, rather than the Tobacco Jar, because I do intend to offer a review. But I'd like to tie this in to Puff Daddy's "Dark Side" thread there, and particularly Aaron's plight (which is a common one) of being enticed by elements of aromatic tobaccos, but being consistently disappointed upon lighting up "Vanilla Viking" etc.

I will preface the review with the admission that I have a real soft spot for this style of tobacco - a lightly topped, virginia heavy blend, which is neither real heavy nor real boring. This is the realm of McClelland Virginia Woods, a multitude of Mac Baren offerings, maybe something like Sherlock Holmes by Peterson, Kendal Cream by Gawith. All very different tobaccos, but all in the same sort of vein - this not-quite-aromatic-or-is-it kind of thing.

To business.

Mac Baren Dark Twist

Presentation: Coins, jammed to the brim in the big 100g Mac B twist-off can. There are two distinct products in here. One is a uniform golden brown coin, complete with stemmy bits and all (whole leaf is used). The other has what I assume to be identical tobacco wrapped around a core of crumbly black stuff - the patented "Mac Baren Cavendish". Current can is about 3:2 for the all-gold stuff.

Tin note: A fresh tin has a sharp smell, with a lemony virginia punching through an almost molasses sort of base. I think part of the sharpness is the Mac B Cavendish, which I always think of as a sort of poor-man's perique - a punchy, fermented leaf. With some air, the tin note becomes more of a straight Virginia, with that raisiny smell so common to these kinds of mixtures.

Packing: I dry this a bit.... the coins feel more dry than they are. I get a bundle of coins, 5 or 6 for a big pipe, and just kind of crush them in my hand. You can rub this tobacco out, but if you do, you unify the flavor and lose some of the allure - the fact that separate tobaccos are present is important.

Lighting up is not super easy. 2 or 3 relights can be expected before this stuff decides it's tobacco and gonna get smoked.

Top of the bowl: The initial flavor is good, and very intense. In fact it can be pretty sharp, and anyone fearing "Mac Baren Bite" is going to be really scared. But it goes away in about 2 minutes, when you get a good burn and a few tamps in.

Mid bowl and after: After that initial sharp/spicy hit, this tobacco settle right down into a fairly sweet Virginia, with that lemony/molasses thing going on the whole time. Then you get to the Black Bits, and they add an earthy, spicy flavor that compliments the sweet top notes perfectly. The result is something like a Christmas pudding... sweet and spicy, heavy without being overpowering.

I find the tobacco seems smoother and smoother right to the last puff. But because of the cut, the flavor is always changing, ranging from the sweet, grassy virginias used to a real potent dark tobacco. This effect is lost with rubbing out, which yields a very pleasant mixture, but more "ordinary" in flavor.

The side stream smoke and anything exhaled through the nose are both beyond words. This aspect of Dark Twist is what makes it worthwhile for me. It leaves a flavor in my mouth that I just can't describe.... oatmeal cookies is the closest, I guess.

Nicotene is not real heavy, but it is enough to leave me WELL satisfied.


Recommendation: I suspect this is too complicated and too fussy of a tobacco for an inexperienced smoker to enjoy. Likewise, Grandad probably isn't going to like it as well as his Half and Half because certain elements are just really subtle, and the more you suck at it, the less it rewards you. But for a serious occassional pipe smoker, this might be nirvana. Pay it some attention and it shines. Ignore it and it will either bite you or leave you flat.

Room note is excellent, and similar to the oatmeal cookie flavor in some ways, so this one is wife-approved too.

FWIW, Club Blend is both spicier and sweeter, having I think more sugar in the casing and more of the cavendish. DT is more like a pure virginia.

For me, this kind of tobacco is just right, very often. I like Best Brown Flake for instance, but get kind of bored with it. Same with Scottish Flake, and many many others. The "more processed" Danish style offers me a more interesting smoke, without heading into the heavier oriental or latakia blends.

So for those who are looking for something that isn't really of the "Sweet Black Cavendish with a glob of x for flavor" kind of aromatics, but are still interested in a tobacco with something extra in flavor and a good room note, this stuff might just do the trick.
 
Very nice and descriptive info on Dark Twist. I will be putting this on the must buy list!!!!
 
When I bought my first real pipe (a Sav Billiard) I bought 4 oz's of 'house tobacco' turns out it was Golden Extra and Virginia #1.

For the longest time I didn't even consider Mac B products as worthy of being classified much higher than Capt Black or some of Lanes garbage....

That changed recently. Earlier this year or late last year I pulled the trigger on a to good to be true deal that landed me tons of tobaccos.. Mac B had quite healthy representation in the box I received.

I've since smoked some Navy Flake, Mixture, Plum Cake, Roll Cake, and probably a few others I can't recall....

Over processed is a good descriptor.. But so is good.
I haven't been in awe of anything I've smoked but I have had quite a bit of enjoyment from the line.

Dark Twist is no exception. Your method reflects mine and your experiance does also.
 
I've been pondering cracking one of my tins of this after hungrily reading this review. I opened my shipment from Pipes & Cigars today and what should be smiling up at me, but a sample pouch of Dark Twist? The Great Tobacconist clearly wanted me to try this out.

Loaded it up in one of my filter Stans and... Mr. Sasquatch, you nailed it exactly. A pleasant combo of VA and spice-cookie sweet. The filter tamed the trademark MB Bite, so it was smooooth sailing.
 
Great review Sasquatch!

I reviewed it several years ago on TR, it used to be part of my regular rotation. Maybe I need to revisit it soon :pipe:

This tobacco is a very pleasant surprise to me. I have tried several of Mac Baren's offerings and I hadn't previously found anything I particularly liked. Dark Twist Roll Cake is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I don't typically smoke aromatics, though I do smoke Haddo's Delight by GL Pease, Luxury Twist Flake by Stokkebye and Hartwell's Evening Stroll, Dark Twist will add another to my line up.

Appearance: This blend has a beautiful presentation, being comprised of small coins of twisted pressed cake. Though predominately red and golden Virginias, there are many coins with darker centers containing spiced dark Cavendish. There is a significant amount of birdseye in these disks as one might expect from the formation of twisted pressed cake.

Tin aroma: This is a very nice mixture of matured Virginias and spiced Cavendish. There are deep molasses tones a slight sour tang one expects in Virginias some slight spicy tones and a deeper fig-like aroma. There is a slightly nutty quality as well; I would expect a small amount of Burley in this mix, though no one has mentioned it. I detect a sweetness and I'm often tempted to take a small bit and chew it, it smells that good!

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture straight out of the tin. . I normally simply roll the disks up and insert them into the bowl; I then rub one or two coins for the very top portion to facilitate a good light. Lighting is usually a one match affair, and generally stays lit throughout the entire bowl, unless I let the pipe go out. As expected, the initial flavor is very spicy and sweet though not overly so on either count. There are distinctly citrus notes of the Virginias and a deep harmonious flavor of well mannered Cavendish. The spice quickly yields it's dominance to a nice throaty Virginia/Cavendish medley which continues to build throughout the bowl.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build and the flavors mix and match very nicely. While this blend is not very complex, it is however plenty interesting in character. There are subtle changes here and there as each component asserts dominance from time to time. The spice is always just there the Virginias and Cavendish engage in a friendly competition and a nuttiness I normally associate with Burley peeks through from time to time. While not particularly strong in nicotine, there is plenty of flavor and body to this mixture.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, the strength of this mixture has built to a fine mélange of flavors and fullness. Though many other reviews mentioned tongue-bite, I have not experienced any. This is a very well behaved tobacco of fine quality. Knowing that it is mainly Virginias is all the information I need to know how to smoke it. I tend to sip it slowly and thereby enjoy the deepening flavors without any trouble with heat or sourness that can result from over-puffing a Virginia mixture.

The ONLY drawback is that something about this blend tends to plaster my pallet. I often reserve it for late in the evening; because I'm rarely able to cleanse my palette enough to really taste anything else. Sometimes I just load up a bowl of Dunhill Nightcap or Bill Bailey's Balkan as I suspect I could taste either of them with my tongue removed.

This tobacco blend has earned a place in my everyday rotation, I'll be smoking a lot of this.

Supplemental Notes: My personal recommendation is that several pipes be reserved for this mixture as the spice tends to color the bowl rather rapidly and might not mix well with other mixtures. Rating for those interested in numbers ***1/2
 
Great review, Sasquatch. This sounds like a must try for me. I shall add it to the ever growing list. Thanks for posting!
 
Great reviews. I too got a sample pack and enjoyed it. I never would have tried it without the sample, and now this tobacco is in my rotation.

I will add just one comment- maple syrup mid bowl!

Delicious
 
Very informative comments, indeed. Accords well with my experience of the blend (of which I too received a 25g. sample pouch not too long ago).

F.Y.I., here is its composition report as required by Danish law (something for you all to 'chew on'):

 
Hi Kapnismologist,
Where do you find the Danish composition report? That's very interesting!
Best wishes,
Preston

Kapnismologist":n6fxz503 said:
Very informative comments, indeed. Accords well with my experience of the blend (of which I too received a 25g. sample pouch not too long ago).

F.Y.I., here is its composition report as required by Danish law (something for you all to 'chew on'):

 
schnorrer said:
Hi Kapnismologist,
Where do you find the Danish composition report? That's very interesting!
Best wishes,
Preston

I have pdfs of these reports for Imperial, Mac Baren, and Orlik. They were sent to me recently by a friend. I do not know from where they came originally, but assume they are available on the web somewhere. Send me a PM with your email address and I can email you all three as an attachment.
 
I never, ever, would have guessed licorice. Ever. :no:
Maple based sugar is no surprise, however!

Thanks for the post.
 
Sasquatch":1r5zmwmf said:
I never, ever, would have guessed licorice. Ever. :no:
Maple based sugar is no surprise, however!

Thanks for the post.
Licorice, anise, fennel are very common flavoring ingredients in many things, including foods, especially Italian/Greek foods. When added below the average perceptible flavor range (where the average person can distinguish the flavor itself) it enhances other flavors, kind of like adding cayenne pepper below the level where it makes things taste hot.

Licorice and chocolate are very common in US cigarette mixtures, as they enhance certain ranges of flavors nicely.
 
Licorice, anise, fennel are very common flavoring ingredients in many things, including foods, especially Italian/Greek foods. When added below the average perceptible flavor range (where the average person can distinguish the flavor itself) it enhances other flavors, kind of like adding cayenne pepper below the level where it makes things taste hot.

Licorice and chocolate are very common in US cigarette mixtures, as they enhance certain ranges of flavors nicely.[/quote]

Yep, exactly. For example these two, licorice and cocoa, are in fact exactly what Mark Ryan adds to his Burley RYO blends to achieve the 'American' cigarette flavor profile (so I have been told). Very common I think.
 
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Great review Sas! I really enjoy reading your takes on tobaccos. We seem to have a very similar palate. My own take on Dark Twist mirrors yours pretty closely. It's on my MacBaren's top five list right behind Club Blend. It's certainly an aquired taste!
 
Nice presentation I to am a fan. I smoke it in a large bowl and sip slowly, tin aroma and flavor are very good enjoy.
 
Right behind Club Blend is right. Club is ridiculously good, and hardly anyone seems to like it. Oh well!

Mac Baren is probably filling 3 or 4 of my top 5, and probably 5 or 6 or my top ten right now.

A rough list of the stuff I really enjoy:

Club Blend
Navy Flake
Presbyterian Mixture (solomon)
Dark Twist
Mixture Flake
Commonwealth Mixture (Gawith)
Virginia Woods (McClelland)
Gold Blend (Peterson)

And from the smell of the unopened tin, I might add Larsen Old Fashioned, but I haven't smoked any yet, so that's unofficial.

I guess I'm a freak for tweaked virginias.
 
Sasquatch":ov6gf4s0 said:
And from the smell of the unopened tin, I might add Larsen Old Fashioned, but I haven't smoked any yet, so that's unofficial.

I guess I'm a freak for tweaked virginias.
'Squatch, if you like the Mac B doped Virginias, I think you'll like Old Fashioned. It's a lower-volume mix than MBs: a little less sweet and the Va is more blended-in. But lots to like about it.
 
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