Mac Barren Navy Flake

[Headcharge]

Hello all. New to the game and new to this Flake. I have tried rubbing it out & the fold-stuff method. Both methods I let it air dry for ~30min. This tobacco always burns HOT and I mean HOT. If I sip any slower I have to relight every 5 min. Currently having to relight ~every 10 min and scorching my hand and mouth.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[herbinedave]

All Mac Baren Tobacco burns hot. IMHO ditch the Mac Baren and try something different.

 

[Headcharge]

All Mac Baren Tobacco burns hot. IMHO ditch the Mac Baren and try something different.

Thoughts for a navy flake to try vs Mac Baren?

 

[monbla256]

My favorite of the "Navy" flakes is McClelland's Navy Cavendish in the Matured Virginia series. Some VERY tastey stuff and it DOES NOT burn hot nor bite ( unless you are a power puffer and don't sip your Va's as they should be )

 

[Wet Dottle]

Hello all. New to the game and new to this Flake. I have tried rubbing it out & the fold-stuff method. Both methods I let it air dry for ~30min. This tobacco always burns HOT and I mean HOT. If I sip any slower I have to relight every 5 min. Currently having to relight ~every 10 min and scorching my hand and mouth.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

I don't know what to tell you, except my experience is quite different from yours. Actually, this is one of my favorite blends and I smoke it often. I use the fold & stuff method (as described in the Mac Baren Web site) and like the level of moisture it comes with in the tin. I must say, however, that I have a pretty large stock of it and always open tins with 5 or more years of age. But never had the problems you describe, even when smoking it fresh. Having said that, I would move on to other blends if I were you. Solani, Fribourg & Treyer, Wessex, and McConnell all have very nice flakes worth a try.

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

I wouldn't give up on MB Navy. Its a good smoke, I know others say it can bite but I don't have a problem with it. Give it some time and revisit it. I would move it into a ball jar. Those square tins really let the tobacco dry out quickly.

In the mean time I would give PS Luxury Navy Flake a try and Sam Gawith Navy if you can find it. The SG has a bit of latakia in it. You might also want to try Orlick Golden Sliced. Not a Navy but a solid Virginia flake.

 

[roogles]

I haven't tried the MacBaren Navy Flake, but I'm a big fan of the MacBaren Vanilla Cream Flake (just ordered two more tins from SmokingPipes.com this afternoon).

I tend to "cube" my flake - fold it a few times with the grain, and then cut it across the grain so that it falls apart into tiny cubes...

Then I gravity fill the pipe right up to the rim with the little cubes, and then gently tap on the side of the bowl so that they settle down to 2/3 or 3/4 of a bowl.

I smoke a bowl of the Vanilla Cream Flake in a MM Ozark hardwood nearly every day with this packing method. One bowl typically gets me home (40-50 minutes) and as long as I'm not puffing like crazy doesn't burn too hot or give me tongue bite. I generally have to tamp gently every 10-15 minutes (3 times per drive) just to keep the hot ash layer moving down the bowl to the cubed tobacco.

It works for me - but your results may vary?

 

[Headcharge]

Thanks all. It has about a year of aging on it and is currently jarred. I might put it back into the celler and revist at a later date.

 

[Cadfael]

Headcharge - I really like the stuff. The key is to let it dry. Leave some out overnight and smoke it the next day.

 

[Carlos]

I smoke some of the Mac Barren blends. My usual MO with flakes is to rub them out. But with Mac Barren I always take extra care in packing. Not too tight. A bit looser than I normally pack my pipe. Then I have to pay attention and really try to just smoulder the coal on the tobacco when lit. Puff a pipe full of Mac Barren up to keep it lit and it will bite you like a rabid cat.

 

[Harlock999]

Headcharge - I really like the stuff. The key is to let it dry. Leave some out overnight and smoke it the next day.

Dry is good, for MacB Navy Flake at least.
Don't pack too tightly either.

 

[roogles]

In light of all the folks who have success with the fold-n-stuff method, I decided to give it a try on the way home last night and wanted to report my experience...

I took 2/3 of a full flake of the MacBaren Vanilla Cream - performed the "fold-n-stuff" method as described on MacBaren's site, and went about my normal routine of lighting up in the car as soon as I was off company property. Contrary to the cubing method I normally employ, I found it a lot more difficult to light (and keep lit) - and felt like it took much longer for the cap to settle down to what I considered a comfortable burning pace...

I don't think it was my imagination that the bowl tasted differently, and the draw was definitely way more open than what I've been used to while cubing the flake.

I also detected that my MM hardwood pipe got very very hot during the smoke (likely tied to the increased puffing I felt like I had to employ to keep the bowl lit).

This was an isolated experiment, but seems to have convinced me even more that taking the time to cube and gently pack the flake works better for me than the fold-n-stuff.

Again... just my take, your mileage may vary.

 

[EC Outlaw]

The fold and stuff method, for MacBaren flakes at least, is very picky as to bowl sizes, and the amount of flake used. In my experience, both the length of flake used (trim it with scissors) and the quantity of flake (one, one-and-a-half, etc.) are critical in getting a reasonable smoke.

It has to be dry enough to light easily, and you must have the draw right. For example, I would think that roogles experience with the fold-n-stuff is related to too much moisture, and too open a draw. With his cube and gravity fill method, he is hitting the draw right, and the cubing exposed more surface area, allowing an easier light and burn.

With proper light packing and the right moisture, I smoke MacBaren's Virginia No. 1 with no problem, and it is condemned by many as being the "bite king" of the MacBaren products.

Just my $.02.

 

[Natch]

All Mac Baren Tobacco burns hot. IMHO ditch the Mac Baren and try something different.

Thoughts for a navy flake to try vs Mac Baren?

There are so many "Navy Flakes" made by different blenders, and no two are the same. I might argue that it is one of the loosest defined tobacco types there is. Many are good (a few bad) but hard to compare because of their differences.

Like many (but not all!) I find that most MB tobaccos smoke hot. However, their Navy Flake is my favorite and being a burley base, I often mix it half and half with a lighter Virginia.

Natch

 

[KevinM]

My .02 is that many of the complaints about Macb's alleged pyromaniac tendencies are due to: problems with packing the pipe which may be due to chunks of unrubbed flake obstructing the burn which leads to excess puffing which heats up the pipe which generates steam between bowl and bit ... which is felt on the tongue as the dreaded bite. Experiment with the advice given by the previous posters. I think you'll find your answer. OTOH, if for whatever reason you find that one brand's product just doesn't agree with you, there are plenty of others that will, Lord knows.

 

[MisterE]

The Navy Flake seems to be an rare exception to the "MacBite" rule. One of my buddies down here just gave me a tin and I've been enjoying it a quite a bit. I noticed a hint of honey this time that I can remember from the almost-uneard-of good experience with Va. No. 1. :roll:

 

[mike_68]

As a newb myself I've noticed MacB blends seem to be "love 'em or hate 'em" type things which has made me wonder if they aren't more of an acquired thing.

Something I've found more approachable for myself have been Stokkebye blends. I would recommend Bullseye Flake or Luxury Twist Flake.

Good luck in your quest..

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I smoke some of the Mac Barren blends. My usual MO with flakes is to rub them out. But with Mac Barren I always take extra care in packing. Not too tight. A bit looser than I normally pack my pipe. Then I have to pay attention and really try to just smoulder the coal on the tobacco when lit. Puff a pipe full of Mac Barren up to keep it lit and it will bite you like a rabid cat.

This.

I enjoy MacB NF, and I never found it to get too unruly. Personally, I while I also carefully pack the stuff, I leave it a bit chunkier, but leave plenty of space for it. That way, it smolders and gets plenty of room.

Just as a side note, if you have to relight every five to ten minutes, you're doing just fine. If you're really intent on keeping a pipe lit by puffing alone, I wouldn't be surprised you might be getting it a little hot and bitey. Even if you have to light every sixty seconds, that's okay, too. Each pipeful can be a challenge, or sometimes they're smooth sailing. You can enjoy them in either scenario, because your flexibility is what will reward you.

8)

 

[Anonymous]

What he said.

:face:

 

[Headcharge]

I am going to try some again tonight. I will pack looser and let it dry a little longer. If this works great...if not I will continue with my new friend Mc C Navy Cav.