Mac B's Modern Virginia , loose cut

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monbla256

monbla256

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I got a pouch of this in my last SP order as a freebie so decided to try another Mac B blend/ mixture ! I've tried several of their blend/mixtures over the 40+ years of smoking and all have been some of the most bite full blend/mixtures and sadly this one is no exception. Upon opening the pouch your greeted with a somewhat sweet aroma which reminded me of the aroma of the old Senior Service 555 cigs.(My daily cig back in the '70s) It is a mixed medium light/dark fine cut ribbon mixture more akin to RYO cig 'baccy than what I think of Ribbon Cut Pipe 'baccy !! It loads well, lights quicjly and burns HOT no matter how slowly one tries to sip !!
And as with ALL my previous experiences with Mac B's 'baccy BITE, BITE :twisted: :twisted:
I've now smoked two bowls of this, one in a cob the other in a briar and it's the same in both! No real Va sweetness in this one, just plain hot 'baccy for me!! I have rolled three cigs with it and in this use it is SUPERB!! I would NOT recommend it for a pipe 'baccy, but when you want a nice cig, it works SUPERBLY !! JMHO :twisted: :twisted:
 
Got a freebie pouch of this as well but have yet to smoke any of it. I'll get a round tuit eventually, but will bear in mind your experience Michael. Forewarned is forearmed they say!


Cheers,

RR
 
Mac Baren's HH Vintage Syrian and HH Mature Virginia are my two go to smokes for English and straight Virginia respectively. I've smoked others but don't remember why i didn't like them. I still want to try their HH Old Dark Fired.
 
ZeroContent":vu5ooqb3 said:
Mac Baren's HH Vintage Syrian and HH Mature Virginia are my two go to smokes for English and straight Virginia respectively. I've smoked others but don't remember why i didn't like them. I still want to try their HH Old Dark Fired.
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Since this post is about McB's Modern Va, Loose cut, what do you think about it?
 
I get no chance of tongue bite from Modern Virginia flake or loose cut. Maybe Monbia's puffing too fast or maybe it's body chemistry or maybe the tobacco was too dry in the pouch... I dunno. I'm not a fast puffer at all, and seldom get tongue bite. But I find MV is be a mild, sweet enjoyable smoke.
 
I find if I'm getting bite i loosen my lips and allow some fresh air in during the draw. Not sure if anyone else does that.
 
JimInks":c7pmz6zw said:
I get no chance of tongue bite from Modern Virginia flake or loose cut. Maybe Monbia's puffing too fast or maybe it's body chemistry or maybe the tobacco was too dry in the pouch... I dunno. I'm not a fast puffer at all, and seldom get tongue bite. But I find MV is be a mild, sweet enjoyable smoke.
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Having smoked mostly Va/s over the past 30+ years I know to SIP SLOWLY with them. I just in all these years have never found a McB blend/mixture that did not bite. As I said in my earlier post JMHO :twisted: :twisted:
 
I tried Modern Virginia Loose Cut for the first time recently and didn't get any of the tongue bite mentioned. So, either it's a body chemistry thing or my tongue is made of leather. Either one is possible. I quite liked the blend. Most of my favorite VAs are flakes and sometimes I want a VA smoke that required less prep or drying time. MV Loose Cut fits that category well for me.
 
My first trade with a Brother here got my a sample pouch of this. I have not got it to bite, but it will gurgle towards the end if not dried a bit first.

I picked a few tins up, then the price went up substantially. That sent it from rotation status to occasional indulgence. I found the sweet topping nice, though it is not very strong.

I will concede to Monbla's tongue bite issue, due to the fact it has a more acidic edge to it than an aged McClelland.....
 
Having only smoked this one in a gourd calabash I can't comment on tongue bite. It was a pleasant light smoke with a decent aroma it fell flat for me in taste. Not nearly as sweet as it smells and not much tobacco taste for me. Worth a try if you're looking but not one I'll be getting more of.

Jim
 
I've noticed, from my experience with Mac Baren, that the tobaccos in tins do much better than those in a pouch. I've had Plumcake, Modern Virginia Loose Cut, Scottish Blend and Golden Extra in pouches and did not really like them because, yes, they tended to bite.
But all these guys, in a tin, did much, and I mean much, differently. In a very positive way.
 
It's a odd one this, eh? Mac B seems to carry a reputation for being a bit bitey but despite enjoying several blends I don't think I've come close to even a sniff of a bite. Now, clearly Michael knows his way round a bowl of 'baccy, so something's occurring! Technique, chemistry, hardware - who knows? I guess that's what makes this such a great hobby. It's not a science, it's an art. (IMHO, of course). Not tried MVF though so perhaps I ought to give it a whizz too.
 
I also received a pouch of MacBaren Modern Virginia Loose Cut with a recent order.  I've only had a couple bowlfuls, so too early to truly see if this blend will knock my socks off.  I consider myself fortunate that MacBaren blends don't bite, and a couple are even true favorites.  Initial impressions of Modern Virginia Loose Cut:  Quite dry in the pouch with not much obvious propylene glycol.  Shag-type cut so burns quickly but burns well.  Mild.  Tasty but again fairly mild.  Nice room note. Worth a try but my own initial impressions lend me to think I'll use this as a Virginia based blender to gain better burn, add some sweetness, and/or tone down other blends I find too heavy handed.
 
For what it's worth, I enjoyed this blend, I too had it from the pouch. Would I actually buy a tin of it? Probably not, especially after Mac Baren's big price adjustment. However, I would like to try the flake version.

Anyway, to my taste it's a fairly mild Virginia done in that classic Danish aromatic style. The flavoring is a perfect fit for the tobacco used. Mild tobacco taste with a high note that reminds me of a quality fruit scented black tea.

MAc Baren blends don't bite me. I did initially experience a little bite from Dark Twist Roll Cake when I first tried it, but for the most part it was user error, puffing too hard trying to get more of that good DTRC flavor..  It also helps not to rub your Mac Baren coins out, flakes too. Even Per Jensen warns about this in one of the Smoking Pipes's Mac Baren factory tour videos.. Ready Rubs?...smoke SLOW. Slower than you think slow is....
 
I just finished off the freebie pouch I got with a SP order.

It had a few things going for it - I didn't find it to be bitey at all, had no problem keeping it from getting to hot, and smoked relatively dry until near the end of the bowl. It was pleasant enough, but kind of a monotonous to me. It reminded me quite a bit of Orlik Golden Sliced, but the OGS seems more naturally hay/grass sweet, whereas the MV sweetness is that general sweetness I seem to find in most MacB blends. I prefer OGS by a fair margin, and prefer the OGS prices by a huge margin.

Would I smoke it again if given to me? Absolutely. Would I buy a tin of my own? Probably not.
 
I also got the sample pouch. My impressions are similar to the majority here. Sweet and smooth with no bite. I think I may have been bitten by plumcake once or twice, but slowing down fixed that. Otherwise I never had a MacB blend that bit. While I appreciated the quality of the blend, I'm not an aro fan so I set it aside. After a few weeks the aro components have dissapated and I'm finding the de-flavored blend to be a nice melow Virginia. At least its good to know that MacB maintains their high quality in the aro blends. I find myself reaching for more MacB blends these days, and really enjoyed their pure virginia blend. The price increase is annoying, but when I consider what I pay for a cigar the tobacco is still a bargian.
Mike.
 
Here is my review from TR after finishing a pouch. The tobacco was quick to dry in the pouch for me, and the last few bowls were a little crispy. I hydrated them a little after packing by breathing through the bowl.

'This was unremarkable but pleasant. The fruity pouch note is in the smoking taste as well, but it is mild and does not overpower. It is slightly sweet, and the Virginias give it a slightly grassy note. There is a little citrus in the flavor, and I am not sure if that is from the Virginia or the mild topping. I can believe the fruit topping is apricot, because that was in the description, but I was not struck with any specific fruit flavors.

I have been smoking this in the truck with an assortment of pots and a cob. To my palate it is a nice step up from an OTC and an easy Virginia-forward mildly aromatic smoke. This would be a good and inoffensive "all-day" smoke. The room note is pleasant, and it does not fatigue the palate. For a reason I can't quite put my finger on, it does not punch any of my buttons.

On my scale, this is a 2.5 - no regrets, but I am not likely to buy more.'
 
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